


All Right In Time

by yurimaxwell



Category: Cardcaptor Sakura
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Marriage, Older Characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:01:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24641332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yurimaxwell/pseuds/yurimaxwell
Summary: In the end, what matters is that they try to make it right.
Relationships: Eriol Hiiragizawa/Daidouji Tomoyo
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: CCS and ExT belong to CLAMP.

Tomoyo sat in a corner booth at her favorite cafe, hands idly twirling a pencil. She had a number of half-finished sketches in front of her and yet her gaze kept wandering to the view outside. It wasn't much, just an intersection and a couple of people walking past.

Intersections had always made her uneasy, especially the more busy ones. She hated life's intersections even more. She liked things to remain the same. Same was safe. You always knew what to expect. And yet, she found herself crossing intersections more often than she cared to. All because of him.

Eriol eventually returned to Tomoeda after years of being away. He returned without explanation and re-inserted himself into their lives, as if he never left. She didn't really mind, especially once her friends started pairing up and she was left on the sidelines. She can't say she envied them or longed for what her friends had. Their happiness was also her happiness after all. But it was nice to have someone there with her as she watched, waiting for the perfect awkward moment and making sure she captured it on HD. She finally had someone to talk to, who would be just as shrewd and perceptive, maybe more.

He made intersections seem like an adventure. As long as her hand was in his, nothing else mattered.

Sakura will always be her best friend. She is still her best friend. But he was a close second.

No, not second. He knew things about her that she would never dare tell Sakura. He was in a category of his own. He was someone she could be completely honest with. No need for the usual polite mask or words, he would see through it anyway. She can curse her mouth off in front of him and he'd only wiggle his eyebrows and tell her what a dirty mouth she had in his _I'm-a-paragon-of-virtue_ voice. She can be less than perfect and he wouldn't care. He saw the real her and liked her in spite of it. Or maybe because of it?

He also let her see the real him. His magic was actually the least weird part of him, if she was to be honest. He liked anything absurd and unusual. He'd drag her into thrift shops and bargain stores, hunting for the most shocking thing he could find. Sometimes she wondered if he was doing it on purpose to get a rise out of her.

And yet she chose to be with him, to actually live with him. Love can do weird things to your brain.

She fell in love with her best friend. Again. But this time it was returned. And they were happy.

Of course it was just her luck that things had to change again.

Here they were, at yet another crossroad. She thought that the leap from friends to lovers would be the most difficult part. But it looks like the small everyday things was the one finally driving them apart.

They had another fight today. They have been having these small fights on and off for more than a month now. Just like the ones before, it was about something pretty mundane. It was so mundane she can barely remember how the argument started in the first place. They never had any big issues. But the constant quarreling is taking its toll on what they had.

Sometimes she wondered if she was just more irritable than usual. They were arguing more often and maybe her patience was just wearing thin. And there were those times when she wondered if what they had was real. Was it really possible to have a relationship with someone as magical as him and someone as ordinary as her? Maybe them together wouldn't really work to begin with.

She sighed as she put down her pencil. Looks like she won't be doing any work again today. She never could focus when they were in the middle of a fight. It didn't matter if she was away from their house or in it. He will continue to fill her mind until they come to a sort-of resolution.

She let out another sigh as she stood up and gathered her things. Might as well head home and face the music.

* * *

Eriol sat in his favorite chair, staring at the clock. Two hours and eleven minutes since she stepped out of the house with her sketchpad and supplies. He knew she would be going to that small cafe near the intersection and would order something with caramel. She liked caramel. She would then try to sketch but would end up staring out the window lost in thought. Once she runs through the recent issues they've been having in her mind, she would eventually give up and head back home. He knew she never got any work done while they were in the middle of a fight.

They have been together long enough for him to know that she liked her routine. She still had the same long waist length hair she had when they first met and the same propensity for capturing their friends on camera. And there was her _cafe-brooding-ritual_.

He had also been part of her routine. They found themselves together, more often than not, when he moved back to Japan. They had been thrown together mostly because of issues with everyone else's schedules, but it turned out a good thing in the end. She was one of the very few people he knew who understood him. In fact, she was very much like him. No, she did not have magic, at least not the same one that he or his descendants had. But she was every bit as magical, maybe more. 

He did not remember when he stopped watching and started touching. She was so beautiful, it was hard to stay away. Like a moth to a flame, he was drawn to her light. She was the only one who managed to keep the shadows at bay. And soon, friendly smiles and innocent hugs gave way to heat and passion. He didn't know how one ended and the other began. All he knew was that he was hopelessly in love. And for some miracle she loved him too. Loved him enough to move in with him, to take the next step, even if it meant changing what she knew.

That first argument caught them by surprise. They both knew that relationships were not perfect. They knew what they were getting into, they weren't kids. But knowing didn't make it hurt less. Or make it less confusing.

Two hours and nineteen minutes. Soon, she would be walking through the door, all calm and serene. All on the outside of course. But that's just the way she is. The way they are.

He should grab something to occupy his hands. A book or a manuscript, it really doesn't matter. She would just take a quick peek at him anyway before she goes up to their room.

Sometimes he wondered why they couldn't be like the other couples they knew. Maybe a good shouting match would be better compared to the silence and the polite words. He knew more than anyone that under the cool and calm exterior, Daidouji Tomoyo had fire. He could see it in how her eyes flashed at him when she was mad. And he felt it whenever they made love. Not that they were doing much of that recently. Maybe someone should start throwing things? Or at least slam the door.

Eriol sighed and grabbed a book and pretended to read. She would reach the doorway in three… two… one...


	2. Chapter 2

Dinner was a quiet affair. Nakuru went out with friends and took Spinel with her, so it was just him and Tomoyo tonight. This, again, was not new. Nakuru would suddenly get a steady stream of dinner invitations and social obligations whenever they were in the middle of a fight. He did not blame his guardians for wanting to escape. The heaviness in the air was suffocating.

Eriol glanced at the woman seated across him. She looked like royalty, perfect posture, every movement elegant. Her eyes were focused mostly on her plate. She was going through the motions of eating... chew, swallow, repeat. A few more and she was almost done. Soon she would ask to be excused.

"Excuse me…" Tomoyo said as she stood up to carry her plate to the sink.

"I'll take care of the dishes tonight," he replied, trying to ignore the tightening in his chest. Tomoyo nodded acknowledgement, still not meeting his eyes and left.

He let out a sigh. The whole thing was awkward and strained. So why did it still feel right? Why did it still feel like she belonged here, that she was meant to sit across from him. And why did it feel like she took the light with her when she left?

* * *

Tomoyo sat on the bed they shared, staring out the open window. She was going to brush her hair, but she suddenly felt too tired to even lift her hands. Every movement felt heavy and forced.

She was so tired. She was tired of the quiet, awkward dinners, the polite exchange of words. Eventually, they will go back to normal - whatever that may be. Nothing will be acknowledged or resolved. Couples had misunderstandings and fights. It was normal, she knew. But was it normal not to talk about it? Was it normal to pretend it did not happen once one or both got tired of the silence?

She had never been the type to wear her heart on her sleeve. She had learned from a young age that you had to hold your cards close to your chest to win. The less others knew, the less power they had over you. It had always worked well in the past. At least until there was someone who started seeing behind her mask.

He had masks of his own. He said they were out of necessity, mainly because of Clow Reed. But she knew he also used his masks as an armor. Much like she did.

She knew she still loved him. It wasn't like the giddy love she felt for Sakura. It was not a roller coaster of feelings or a burst of fireworks. It was the kind of love that made her feel safe and wanted. It was a warm fire on a cold winter's night. He looked at her and she felt alive.

She knew it was love. But she also knew that sometimes relationships don't last and love is not enough. There was an over-abundance of angsty heartbreak songs for a reason. Is that what's happening to them? Have they reached the end?

She stiffened as she heard him enter the room. Usually, he didn't come up until she was asleep. Part of her wanted him gone. It was easier that way. But there was also a part of her who welcomed the change. It made her... hope?

She felt the mattress sink as he sat beside her. He reached for the brush in her hand and then proceeded to gently brush her hair, his fingers combing through, making sure he didn't hurt her. Tomoyo felt her eyes close as she focused on his movements. It was easy to forget the swirl of emotions and the unanswered questions when he was this close.

_Was it enough?_

* * *

He did not know why he came to her. Usually he kept his distance, played it cool. They eventually fell back into routine anyway. But there was something different about tonight. He no longer wanted things to be the way they were between them. He hated the silence and lines they had drawn around each other. Peace at the expense of what they had was not peace at all.

"What's happening to us Eriol?" He heard the pain he felt mirrored in her voice. _How did they get to this?_

"I don't know if I can do this anymore," she continued to say. Tomoyo's voice was soft, but it hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. 

"This is the view I always saw that year I joined your class. Long curtain of black. It made me think of shiny black silk," he murmured as he ran his fingers through her hair. "The first time I saw you again, years after, I can't help but be grateful that you decided to keep your hair long."

"Eriol…"

"Can I hold you?" he asked her quietly, trying his best to push away the panic and the pain. He felt her hesitate, before finally leaning back against him in response. He put down the brush, took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her. 

"I once told you, to have and to hold. It was a promise, and I keep my promises. I will hold on for as long as I can. I have waited more than one lifetime to be with you. I'm not letting you go without a fight."

The silence was deafening. _Did she hear him? Did she understand?_

It was then he felt her tears fall on his arms. He hugged her tighter as he tried to will her tears away. "I don't know how to make things right. But I will not stop trying. Can you try with me Tomoyo? Can you give us another chance?"

She turned to face him. Tears continued to flow but the only thing he could think of was how beautiful she was. Strong, proud, beautiful Tomoyo. His wife, his love, his life. He will never let go if he could help it.

* * *

_I will hold on for as long as I can._

It was not something she expected to hear. Vows were easily made and as easily forgotten.

It wasn't even something she thought she needed to hear from him. But hearing it now made her realize that a part of her had begun to lose hope in what they had, had stopped believing in the promises they once shared.

She felt the tears fall. She had been frustrated with him, at times even angry. But she had never cried for them. Until now.

_Can you give us another chance?_

She turned to face him, the man she had loved for almost all her life. If he was willing to hold on, she was willing to try, as many times as needed, no matter how long it took.

He smiled at her sadly, gently wiping her tears. "I am sorry I hurt you. I've been taking the easy way out by ignoring what's happening to us. I won't make that same mistake again. Will you forgive me?"

She smiled back and nodded. "I'm sorry too. For forgetting our promise. For not letting you know I was not okay."

"Good." Eriol said mischievously. He laughed out loud as she hit him with her brush. "I love you so much Tomoyo."

"Prove it." she smiling back at him as she pulled him close. And he did just that for the rest of the night.


End file.
